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Is the work that a pharmacy technician does different than that of an actual pharmacist?

I am asking because I would like to be a pharmacist, and I know that you have to do at least a year or two working as a pharmacy technician, under an actual pharmacist. #pharmacy #pharmaceuticals

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Thank you comment icon The pharmacist is the main one responsible and has to make sure the techs are doing the job correctly. I would say work as a tech while continuing your schooling to become a pharmacist. It takes more schooling, but the pay is worth the extra schooling. Megan
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Annie’s Answer

Pharmacy technicians assist the pharmacist with their tasks. The only things technicians can't do are council patients, final order verification, and immunizations. To get your pharmacy license you have to work as an intern under a pharmacist to earn your hours. It's pharmacy schools now provide you with enough on site practice time to get your hours that way. When applying to pharmacy schools though it doesn't hurt to have worked as a pharmacy technician.

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Parixit’s Answer

Pharmacy technicians assist pharmacists in daily duties. Most of the work they do in community settings is similar except verifications of final prescriptions, counselling, immunizations, and most importantly, applying clinical knowledge to provide pharmaceutical care such as drug -drug interaction, drug-disease interaction, allergy, etc. In the hospital settings, technicians prepare IV-admixtures, pills packets, and again, pharmacists verify them.

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Ekaterina’s Answer

Well.... LONG story short, the difference lies in how much you know & what you are responsible for. See,

On one hand... you will do lots of "tech" things as a pharmacist. Prescription entry, filling, insurance work, checking patients out, inventory maintenance... the list goes on. In fact, most of the things you'd learn as a pharmacy intern will be of "tech" nature. Techs and their skills are the foundation of the pharmacy business.

On the other hand... being the pharmacist, you will have more knowledge and - due to that - more responsibilities than your techs do. You will be the one who recommends (or cautions against) OTC medications, counsels folks on immunizations or proper med use/dosing/dangerous drug combinations. You will be the one who has the final say on whether the prescription is written right, or whether it should be filled at all. This is because, as a pharmacist, you are taught to develop and utilize your knowledge, whereas technicians are generally not required to have any special training (some states/companies have specific licensing/hiring requirements, but most places will hire anyone with a GED and willingness to learn).
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